Thermo-mechanical degradation and VOC emission of unstabilized and stabilized polypropylene copolymer during multiple Extrusions

The thermo-mechanical degradation during the multi-extrusion of unstabilized and stabilized polypropylene copolymer (cPP) was analyzed using the Chain Scission Distribution Function (CSDF) method. During the first extrusion of unstabilized cPP almost 60% of the initial polymeric chains were submitted to chain scission. The calculations using CSDF show a random chain scission process of chains with molecular weight below 100 kg.mol-1, and above that a preferential chain scission process. When stabilized the cPP molecular weight is kept constant, even after four extrusions, independently of the ...